I think the absence of a touch screen on a device may very well be a
blessing for Hims Inc as not everyone is interested in a touch screen.
3GB of RAM is more than enough, though some of the newer Android devices
have 4GB - and some 6GB - 3 is still ample, my absolute minimum would be
1GB, the Neo Set Top Box I use has 2Gb and it speeds along most of the
time but with 1GB you do notice things slowing down, another device I
have - can't remember its name, its an Android Desktop computer - only
has 1GB.
Obviously I've not seen one of these machines but I can tell you that I
like stereo speakers on a device, they make the world of difference even
when listening to spoken word.
Does the machine have any Bluetooth capabilities? It would be nice if
you could stream audio from the unit to say a B&W T7, headphones,
hearing instruments or similar.
Conversely it would be nice to stream to the machine from say another
mobile device.
I like Chrome very much, I use it here on the Sony xPeria in the Android
world and on the Windows PC.
I have to admit that - for me personally - I'm not at all interested in
a Note Taking device with a Touch Screen, I'm thinking about the
purchase of an ElBraille though I do like the Hims Inc way of doing things.
I had a Voice Sense a number of years ago and I do miss that machine in
several ways though the software could no longer be updated so it was
pointless keeping that device.
I sincerely hope Hims Inc have done some work in the Wireless
connectivity department, on the Voice Sense the Wi-Fi was truly and
utterly dreadful.
Anyway thanks for letting us know about the device.
On 23/06/2017 7:20 PM, Gordon Smith wrote:
Good Friday to you one and all
I've just spent a happy couple of hour teaching a client to use her new Braille
Sense Polaris, whilst at the same time gaining an insight into the product
myself.
Whilst the Polaris has some interesting facits, it isn't a device that's on my
own shopping list, for a number of reasons. So, let me tell you a little about
the device, and why I've formulated my opinions of it.
Firstly, like the Braille Sense U2, there is no touch screen on this tablet. I
use that word very guardedly, for that very reason. Hims do call it a tablet
though, so I guess I must also.
The Polaris has a very Braille Sense look and feel. It has 11 physical keys on
the keyboard. One key is a Return key, and there are also control and
Altogether keys, harping back to Windows. The device is powered by Android 5.1
Lollipup. However, as the operating system evolves, so will the Polaris, to a
degree. Some of the frameworks of Android are not yet updated for
accessibility, which prohibits the same kind of rapid growth that we are seeing
with Android.
As I was saying. Their are 11 physical keys on the keyboard, plus
touch-sensitive function keys which, again, resemble quite closely the Braille
Sense U2.
The Braille display has 32 cells. Interestingly, the display itself has a
Braille cell cover, protecting the display from dust and other possible harm
whilst not in use. That is, I must admit, a very welcome a.ition.
For reasons best known only to her, my client did not bring her case with her.
So I didn't get to see that. But I am given to understand that it is, like the
U2, a nice soft leather case with reinforced plates where the controls are
located.
The device looks almost identical to the U2. With the noteable exception that
the LCD unit is flipable, enabling easy access for someone with vision.
The technical specifications ofthe device are very interesting. It has an
Octa-core Samsung processor, clocked at 3.1GHZ. It has 3GB of RAM, and a 64GB
flash disk. The SAID-XC card reader is just the same as that of the U2.
Network support is good. It supports the new ACCORDING dual-band protocol, and
is backward-compatible. It has the usual built-in software tools typical of the
Braille Sense family, including electronic scientific calculator, word
processor, UEB and Nemath compatible
braille math support and a schedule manager. There is also the usual Contacts
app, and all the other things you would expect of a Braille Sense.
I'm given to understand that all of the Sense tools have been re-written from the
ground up, so they are not just ported from Windows Mobile. As I said earlier, the
processor is a 64-bit Samsung Octa-core, <meaning it has 8 cores>, and one
thing I will say is that it is us very very very fast!
It came out very favourably when I loaded a -plex PDF document into the reader.
The rendering took just a fraction of a second. On the old U2, it takes upwards
of 5 seconds to process the same ducument.
It directly supports wirless charging, has a USB 3.0 host port and can be charged
wired using either it's own charger, <same charger as the U2>, or via the USB
Micro client.
On the front of the unit are the same media keys that you'd find on the U2, and
the media player is handled in the same way as the U2.
Needless to say, Google is fully supported, so it is possible to import all of
the apps you'd find in the Play Store.
The stereo speakers on the device sound quite good. I only had a quick listen,
as I spent most of the time first sejting it up for my client, then showing her
around the device. For me, as somebody used to the Hims way of doing things, it
took no learning time. That, for some reason, amazed my client. She expected
that she's have to leave the device with me so that I could set it up for her.
No need for that. I was also a# to import her own network profile, so she can
go home and start using it right away.
The web browser is quite interesting. those who like Chrome will be pleased
that learn that the Hims browser is just a modified version of Google's
browser. Modified so as to enable accessibilyoung right out of the box.
In summary, whilst I'm looking forward to helping Claire familiarise herself
fully with her new device, it is not a device that I personally will be
considering. I still believe that the BrailleNote Touch, whilst lacking in some
respects, is a better all-round Android device. My main reason for saying that
is because the Touch adopts a much more main stream approach to tablet uie.
Whilst the Braille display itself supports multitouch gestures on the Polaris,
I still like to be able to utilise the fully-fledged touch screen.
I hope to acquire an ElBraille shortly, so will give you my thoughts when I do
on that device. I'd give the Polaris 7 out of 10. I'm sure Hims have their
reasons for their apfroach. But it isn't an approach for me.
==============================
My Compliments And Kindest Regards
Gordon Smith
'Accessibility And Information Technology Support Specialist
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"Live each day as if you were goiing to die tomorrow, learn each day as if you were
going to live forever"
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